EXPLORATION ON THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF STEM 11 STUDENTS

IN UTILIZING MATH-SOLVING APPLICATIONS AND ITS

IMPACT ON THEIR LEARNING PERFORMANCE IN

LAGUNA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

A Research Paper

Presented To

Laguna Senior High School

Santa Cruz, Laguna

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for Practical Research I

(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Strand

RHEA CARLIZETTE ABILLONAR

March 2023
 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Since ancient times, technology has been a useful element in the daily

lives of mankind. The efficiency and efficacy of technology improve as new

generations emerge. Education is among the many aspects of life that have

been impacted by technological advancement. In the United States, the

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics reported that students in the

12th grade do not demonstrate mathematical proficiency, suggesting that

students shifting from high school to college mathematics are unprepared.

Math apps help students to strengthen their critical thinking, problem-solving

abilities, and self-analysis (Johnson et al., 2016). However, there is limited

study on the efficiency of math applications. To fill this gap, an exploratory

study will be carried out in Laguna Senior High School to determine whether

Math-solving apps can be helpful for STEM students.

In December 2020, Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) launches

math applications for Filipino students in the midst of the new normal. This

project aims to develop a digital mathematics learning environment in which

Filipino students can learn mathematics and think about their abilities when

solving mathematical problems, which has become an essential aid in

education in response to the unsurpassed demand for educational

adjustments in the Philippines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

while using math apps, which can establish a personalized learning

environment and effective support for students with varying requirements

(Gulliford & Miller, 2015).

Furthermore, there are students at Laguna Senior High School who

have difficulties learning mathematics. Specifically in the STEM strand, where

mathematics is a major subject and math apps have made it easier for

students to understand mathematics. Also, there are concerns and worries

about student education as a result of the changes brought by COVID-19,

wherein students are struggling more in learning mathematics because of

online and modular learning. The pandemic has increased the essence of

technology in our lives. According to (Meilang Zhang et., Al, 2015), The usage

of math applications to enhance student learning has been shown to increase

math learning and close the achievement gap between struggling students

and average students.

The purpose of this study is to determine the lived experiences of

STEM 11 students in using math applications. The researchers decided to

conduct this study to observe how these math applications affect their

academic performance. This research is significant because Mathematics and

Technology are important in the STEM strand. In addition, to gain a thorough

understanding of how these math applications influence their academic

performance. Moreover, this study will enable them to be more

knowledgeable on how these math applications will benefit their daily lives,
especially in their academic performance since technology has been a useful

element in our life.

Statement of the Problem

As time goes along, technology keeps advancing in our everyday lives,

and several apps are assisting people, particularly students, in making things

simpler when it comes to activities, assignments, and other tasks in the field

of mathematics. The intent of this study was to determine the lived

experiences of the students in utilizing math-solving applications and its

impact on their learning performances in STEM 11 students at Laguna Senior

High School. Specifically, the researchers intended to answer the following

questions:

1. What apps do students (respondents) use or have utilized in their math

subjects?

2. What is the experience of STEM 11 students in utilizing math-solving

applications to solve mathematical problems?

3. What are the students' (respondents) perceptions in utilizing math solving

applications?

4. What is the respondents' perceived academic success in mathematics,

utilizing Math solving Apps?

and academic performance of students?

6. How do these math-solving apps help or affect their engagement with the

subject of mathematics?

Scope and Delimitation

Students use technology as a learning tool today. The goal of this study

is to find out the lived experiences of STEM 11 students in using math-solving

applications and to observe how it affects their academic performance. This

research study aims to determine the impact of math-solving applications on

the learning performance of STEM 11 students. This study used a qualitative

approach to understand this phenomenon because we will analyze STEM 11

students’ experiences and perceptions in using math-solving applications.

Therefore, this study is limited to STEM 11 students at Laguna Senior High

School. Through phenomenological research, we look at and understand

human experience since we have to examine, gather, and comprehend data

by exploring and observing STEM 11 experiences. This research study will

only focus on the lived experiences of STEM 11 students in utilizing math-

solving applications and how it affects their learning and academic

performance. This research will also provide an investigation and in-depth

interview on how math-solving applications contribute to the learning

performance of STEM 11 students.

approach that focuses on the universality of real-life experiences within a

particular population. The approach's main objective is to arrive at an

interpretation of the essence of the given phenomena. Through this method,

researchers may discover the universal meaning of the event, circumstances,

or experience and gain a deeper comprehension of the phenomenon.

Typically, interviews are carried out with a group of respondents who have

experienced firsthand of an event or situation.

The respondents were selected using simple random sampling. The

researchers chose this method because the respondents have an equal

chance of being selected and produce less biased data. This method is

appropriate because it is convenient for the researchers. Hence, this method

will be used among STEM 11 students based on their previous experience of

using math-solving applications. There will be a total of 20 respondents from

different sections of Grade 11 STEM students. The researchers will provide

questionnaires and consent letter to the target respondents. In addition, the

researchers will gather different perceptions and experiences from STEM 11

students through in-depth interview and inquire information to the target

respondents pertaining to the goal of our study and to seek answer that are

relevant to our study. This study will be conducted during the 2nd semester of

the school year 2022-2023 at Laguna Senior High School.

This research is of great significance as it will determine the

experiences of STEM students in utilizing Math solving apps and how these

apps impact their academic habits and performance. In addition, this will help

certain individuals and groups in the sense that almost every field in recent

years relies heavily on mathematics. Moreover, the findings of this study will

benefit from the following:

Students. In particular, Grade 11 STEM students will be provided with

reliable information on how math solving apps impact their study habits and

academic performance.

Teachers. The findings of this research will provide educators, particularly

those in the field of mathematics, with reliable information regarding the

effects of students utilizing math-solving apps. They will therefore be

compelled to allow students, particularly slow learners, to use math-solving

apps.

Math Organizations. The results of this study will provide organization

groups with empirical information relating to the efficiency of math solving

apps corresponding to their studies.

Future Researchers. The results of this study will serve as a guide and a

source of information for future researchers who intend to do a similar study

their research on the topic more extensively.

Definition of Terms

The following terms were operationally and conceptually defined for a better

understanding of the study, some terms define as follows;

COVID-19 pandemic. It is a global outbreak of an infectious disease

called Coronavirus. This pandemic affects not only people's health but also

people's lives around the world.

Critical Thinking. It is the ability to think clearly and rationally, as well

as comprehend the logical relationship between ideas.

Efficiency. It is the capability of achieving a goal with little effort or

energy. Also, to examine how useful a thing is.

Mathematical Proficiency. It is the ability to apply the five

interdependent strands of mathematical expertise to mathematical

investigations competently.

Mankind. It refers to humanity including both men and women.

Mathematics. It is the study of numbers and shapes. In this study, it

refers to the academic subject that is widely taught in schools and other fields

of academics.
 Online and Modular learning. Refers to the new educational system

or learning delivery in the Philippines because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Technological Advancement. It is an improved knowledge of

technology wherein technologies became more powerful because of its

advancement and development.

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